Liquid-gas contact apparatus



Feb. 10, 1953 w. H. REEDER LIQUID-GAS CONTACT APPARATUS Filed Aug. 29, 1951 INVENTOR.

Patented ?eb. it), 953

2,628,159 LIQUID-GAS CONTACT APPARATUS William H. Reeder, Olean, N. Y., assignor to Fisher Scientific Company,'Pittsburgh, Pa a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 29, 1951, Serial No.'244,13l

' (Cl. 2s-292) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for gas analysis and the like, and more particularly to means for periodically bringing a gas and aliquid into contact with each other automatically. 1

A principal use for the apparatus disclosed herein is in Orsat type gas analyzers, wherein a gas sample is moved back and forth between a burette and a pipette to eiiect thorough mixing of the gas and the absorption liquid in the pipette. The manipulation of the gas sample has been accomplished heretofore by raising and lowering a bottle of liquid connected to the bottom of the burette by a flexible tube. This part of the procedure is quite tedious to perform and prevents the analyst from doing anything" else at that time. 7

It is among the objects of this'invention to provide apparatus which automatically brings the gas and liquid into contact periodically,

vessel for gas and liquid has an inlet for gas at 4 its upper end, and a vertical pump barrel connected to its lower part. A nozzle in the upper part of the vessel is connected with the upper end of the barrel. Slidably mounted in the barrel is a pump plunger that has a stem which extends down out of the barrel. A tubular housin for the stem extends downward below the barrel and has a closed lower end.- The housing is encircled by asolenoid coil anda metal core is carried by the lower part of the stem. The side of the barrel is provided with a liquid opening that is located near the top of the plunger when it is in its lower position. When the coil is'energized to raise the core, the stern and-'plungerare raised by it to force liquid that is in the barrel above them upward and out through the nozzle to come in contact with the gas sample in the upper part of the vessel. Openings also are providedto'permit liquid to flow into and out of the lower part of the vessel as the plunger-is reciprocated. The coil is connected inan electric circuit which is periodically: opened and closed automatically. Preferably, a liquid res' ervoir is in communication with the tubular hous- The invention is illustrated in the laccomp'a'nying drawings, in whichFig. 1 is a side view of one form of the apparatus with most of the pipette shown in section; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of a'modiflcation of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view, partly in section, of another embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of a further modification.

Referring to Fig. l of the drawings, a solenoid coil l' ismounted'in a suitable frame 2 that is adapted to" be clamped to any conventional support." This coil supports a glass pipette formed principally from a pair of upright receptacles seated one within the other. The outer receptacle, whichfrests on the coil, is atall cylindrical reservoir} having anopen top and a central, Opening in its bottom. Extending downward from this'bottom openingis a tubular housing 4 that has a closed lower end below the coil. The housing is integral with the reservoir and forms a depending extension of reduced diameter. When this apparatus is used as apart of an Orsat gas analyzer the inner receptacle forms an absorption vessel 6. The upper portion of the vessel fits loosely within the top of the reservoir, but its lower portion is reduced in diameter and rests on the bottom of the reservoir around the top of the tubular extension, where it is held in line with the extension by means of an encircling rib 1 on thebottom of the reservoir. The lower end of the vessel is provided with a plurality of notches 8 which place the inside of the vessel in communication with the surrounding reservoir. The upper end of the vessel is provided with a gas inlet that can be controlled by a stopcock 9.

' According to thisinvention, a vertical pump barrel I l is mounted iri the reduced lower portion of theabsorption vessel, froi'n'the wall of which it is spaced" except "at its lower' endwhere it is io'ined to the vessel. The upper end of the barrel is connected by an" integral tube! 2 to a nozzle 13 that curves a short distance around the'inside of the upper part of the vessel'above the reservoir. The nozzle can be formed to cause liquid to'splash'against'the wall of the vessel, or

to impinge tangentially on the wall in such a way as-to coat the wall with a stream of liquid. Slidably mountedinthe lower part of the pump bar- 'r'elis'a pump" plunger 14 which can be "made of glass; This'plunger need not fit the barrel perfectly, and must 'be loose enough to move up and down in it freely. Extending downward from upward when the coil is energized. This metal will be referred to hereinafter as a metal core, since it forms a movable core for the coil. With the plunger in its lowest position, there are one or more radial holes 18 through the side of the barrel directly above the plunger, and similar holes I9 through the lower end of the barrel below the plunger. If desired, the lower end of the barrel can be straight, instead of flaring, and be connected to the absorption vessel by radial struts that will be separated by spaces or holes [9. Or, as shown in Fig. 2, holes l9 can be formed in the lower part of the absorption vessel 6' above the lower end of the pump barrel l l'.

Assuming that absorption vessel 6 is nearly filled with absorption liquid which is balanced. by absorption liquid in reservoir 3, and that the vessel above the level of the liquid therein contains sample of gas to be analyzed, if the solenoid coil is energized it will draw the metal core IT upward. This will move the plunger stem and plunger i4 upward in pump barrel H and thereby force some of the liquid that is in the barrel above the plunger upward through tube l2 and out through nozzle l3 into the gas above the absorption liquid. At the same time, some of the liquid in the absorption vessel will flow out of it through holes E8 (or holes I 9' in Fig. 2). The space below the plunger is always full of liquid. As soon as the coil is de-energized, the plunger will drop back to its lower position by gravity. If the plunger and stem are not heavy enough to drop back, the plunger can be weighted inside. The liquid in tubular housing 4 will cushion the fall of the plunger so that the plunger stem will not break the lower end of the housing. As the plunger moves downward gas will be drawn into the barrel through the nozzle and liquid will flow up into the absorption vessel through the lower set of holes in the barrel (or holes 19' in Fig. 2), but as soon as the upper end of the plunger passes down across the upper set of holes l8 liquid will flow from the vessel into the barrel and replace the gas previously drawn into it. This liquid will be forced out of the nozzle the next time the plunger rises. No valves are required for the operation of the pump.

In order to energize coil i, it is connected by an electric cord 2| to a control unit 22 which can be connected by another cord 23 to an electric outlet (not shown). The control unit includes a thermal delay relay 24 or comparable device for intermittently making and breaking the circuit to the coil so that the plunger will move up and down. This relay is chosen so as to give the most eiiective rate of pump operation. The period that the unit operates at any given time is controlled by an on-off timer switch 26. A single control unit may be used to operate a number of absorption pipettes by including a number of separate electrical outlets and a selector switch 21. Of course, the coil could be con;- trolled in ways other than that shown. Regardless of how it is controlled, this apparatus eliminates a great deal of the time-consuming and tedious operation of bringing the gas sample into contact with the absorption liquid in the usual Orsat method. It thus frees the analyst so that he can operate two or more analyzers simultaneously. The chance of error due to the human element also is reduced.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the absorption vessel 3| has a large diameter throughout its length and has its lower end joined to the upper end of a tubular housing 32 extending down through the solenoid coil I. In this case the housing forms an integral extension of the vessel. The reservoir 33, instead of surrounding the absorption vessel, is located at one side of it and is connected by a conduit 34 at its bottom to an opening in the side of the tubular housing directly above the coil. The pump barrel 36 has its lower end joined to the bottom of the absorption vessel around the top of the tubular extension. The upper end of the barrel is connected by a tube 31 to a nozzle 38 in the upper part of the vessel. The lower part of the barrel is provided with liquid holes 3g r'and 40 above and below the plunger 4|, respectively, when it is in its lower position. The plunger has a hollow stem 42 that extends down through the coil and contains a metal core 43. The upper end of the absorption vessel is provided with a gas inlet 44 that may be connected to a'rubber tube (not shown) provided with a suitable valve. This apparatus operates in the same manner as the one first described and the only material difierence in its construction is the location of the reservoir and the point at which it communicates with the tubular housing for the plunger stem.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the reduced lower part of an absorption vessel 50 is integrally jpined to the upper end of a tubular extension of the same diameter that forms a pump barrel 5|.) The top of the barrel is connected to the lower-end of a tube 52 that extends up into the upper part of the vessel and terminates in a nozzle (not shown). Slidably mounted in the barrel isla, plunger 53 that has a downwardly extending "stem 54 like those shown in the other figures. The side wall of the barrel is provided with one'or more holes 56 that are located just above the top of the plunger when it is in its lower position. When the plunger is raised by an electric coil, it forces liquid that is in the barrel above holes 56 up through tube 52 and into the absorption vessel. At the same time some of the liquid in the vessel flows out through holes 51, with. which the vessel is provided just above the barrel. The vessel and barrel are intended to be inserted in a reservoir like the one shown in Fig. 1. The lower end of the barrel is provided with notches 58 to place it in communication with the surrounding reservoir. An absorption vessel and pump barrel made in this way does not require as much glass blowing as the others described herein.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes. l; have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the inventidn may be practiced otherwise than as 5X30- cifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. Liquid-gas contact apparatus, comprising an upright vessel for gas and liquid having an openlng in' its bottom and an inlet for gas at its upper end, a vertical pump barrel mounted in the lower portion of the vessel, a nozzle in the upper part of the" vessel connected with the upper end of said barrel, a pump plunger slidably mounted in the barrel and having a stem extending down through said bottom opening, a tubular housing for the stem extending downward from said bottom opening and having a closed lower end, a solenoidcoil encircling said housing and stem, and a metal core carried by the lower part of said $1 8,1 1, the 51d? said barrel being provided with a liquid opening close to the top of the plunger in its lower position, whereby when the coil is energized to raise said core the plunger will be raised by it to close said liquid opening and force liquid above it in the barrel upward and out through said nozzle.

2. Liquid-gas contact apparatus, comprising an upright vessel for gas and liquid having an opening in its bottom and an inlet for gas at its upper end, a vertical pump barrel mounted in the lower portion of the vessel, a nozzle in the upper part of the vessel connected with the upper end of said barrel, a pump plunger slidably mounted in the barrel and having a stem extending down through said bottom opening, a tubular housing for the stem extending downward from said bottom opening and having a closed lower end, a solenoid coil encircling said housing and stem, a metal core carried by the lower part of said stem, the side of said barrel being provided with a liquid opening above the plunger in its lower position, said barrel side opening being in a position to be closed by the plunger when it is raised. the lower end of the barrel being in communication with the inside of the vessel above said lower end of the barrel, and means for periodically energizing the coil in order to draw said core upward, whereby the stem and plunger will be raised by the core to force liquid above said barrel side opening upward and out through said nozzle.

3. Liquid-gas contact apparatus, comprising an upright vessel for gas and liquid having an opening in its bottom and an inlet for gas at its upper end, a vertical pump barrel mounted in the lower portion of the vessel, a nozzle in the upper part of the vessel connected with the upper end of said barrel, a pump plunger slidably mounted in the barrel and having a stem extending down through said bottom opening, a tubular housin for the stem extending downward from said bottom opening and having a closed lower end, a liquid reservoir communicating with said housing, a solenoid coil encircling said housing and stem, and a metal core carried by the lower part of said stem, the side of said barrel being provided with liquid openings above and below the plunger in its lower position, whereby when the coil is energized to raise said core the stem and plunger will be raised by it to force liquid above them in the barrel upward and out through said nozzle, the upper barrel opening being in a position to be closed by the plunger when it is raised.

4. Liquid-gas contact apparatus, comprising a liquid reservoir having a depending extension at its lower end, a solenoid coil encircling said extension, an upright vessel for gas and liquid seated in the reservoir at the upper end of said extension and communicating at its lower end with the surrounding reservoir, the upper end of the vessel having an inlet for gas, a vertical pump barrel mounted in the lower portion of said vessel, a nozzle in the upper part of the vessel connected with the upper end of said barrel, a pump plunger slidably mounted in the barrel and having a stem extending down into said reservoir extension and normally through the coil, and a metal core carried by the lower part of the stem, the side of said barrel being provided with liquid openings above and below the plunger in its lower position, the upper barrel opening being in a position to be closed by the plunger when it is raised, whereby when the coil is energized to raise said core the stem and plunger will be raised by it to force liquid above them in a barrel upward and out through said nozzle.

5. Liquid-gas contact apparatus, comprising an upright cylindrical liquid reservoir having a central opening in its lower end, a tubular housin joined to the reservoir around said opening and depending therefrom, a solenoid coil encirclin said housing, an upright vessel for gas and liquid disposed in the reservoir and having a lower portion of reduced diameter seated on the bottom of the reservoir around said opening, the upper end of the vessel having an inlet for gas, a vertical pump barrel mounted in said lower portion of said vessel, a nozzle in the upper part of the vessel connected with the upper end of the barrel, a pump plunger slidably mounted in the barrel and having a stem extending down into said housing and normally through the coil, and a metal core carried by the lower part of the stem, the side of said barrel being provided with holes above and below the plunger in its lower position. the upper barrel opening being in a position to be closed by the plunger when it is raised, whereby when the coil is energized to raise said core the stem and plunger will be raised by it to force liquid above them upward and out through said nozzle.

6. Liquid-gas contact apparatus comprising an upright cylindrical vessel for gas and liquid having a depending extension of reduced diameter at its lower end and a gas inlet at its upper end, the side of said extension being provided with an opening, a liquid reservoir connected with said extension opening, a solenoid coil encircling said extension, a vertical pump barrel mounted in said vessel directly above said extension, a nozzle in the upper part of the vessel connected with the upper end of said barrel, a pump plunger slidably mounted in the barrel and having a stem extending down into said vessel extension and normally through the coil, and a metal core carried by the lower part of the stem, the side of said barrel being provided with holes above and below the plunger in its lower position, the upper barrel opening being in a position to be closed by the plunger when it is raised, whereby when the coil is energized to raise said core the stem and plunger will be raised by it to force liquid above them upward and out through said nozzle.

7. Liquid-gas contact apparatus, comprising an upright vessel for gas and liquid having an inlet for gas at its upper end, a vertical pump barrel connected with the lower part of the vessel, a nozzle in the upper part of the vessel connected with the upper end of said barrel, a pump plunger slidably mounted in the barrel and having a stem extending down out of the barrel, a tubular housing for the stem extending downward below the barrel and having a closed lower end, a solenoid coil encircling said housing and stem, and a metal core carried by the lower part of said stem, the side of said barrel being provided with a liquid opening close to the top of the plunger in its lower position, whereby when the coil is energized to raise said core the plunger will be raised by it to close said opening and force liquid above it in the barrel upward and out through said nozzle.

8. Liquid-gas contact apparatus, comprising an upright vessel for gas andliquid having an opening in its bottom and an inlet for gas at its upper end, a vertical pump barrel joined to the lower end of the vessel and extending downward from it, a nozzle in the upperjpart of the vessel connected with the upper end, of said barrel, a pump plunger mounted in the barrel and having a stem extending down out of the barrel, a tubular hous- 7 ing for the stem extending downward below the barrel and having a closed lower end, a solenoid coil encircling said housing and stem, and a metal core carried by the lower part of said stem, the

side of said vessel being provided with a liquid 5 above said lest-mentioned opening upward and out through said nozzle.

WILLIAM H. REEDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,001,581 Matuszak May 14, 1935 2,094,357 Hufi Sept. 28, 1937 2,192,140 McCreary Feb. 27, 1940 

1. LIQUID-GAS CONTACT APPARATUS, COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT VESSEL FOR GAS AND LIQUID HAVING AN OPENING IN ITS BOTTOM AND AN INLET FOR GAS AT ITS UPPER END, A VERTICAL PUMP BARREL MOUNTED IN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE VESSEL, A NOZZLE IN THE UPPER PART OF THE VESSEL CONNECTED WITH THE UPPER END OF SAID BARREL, A PUMP PLUNGER SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN THE BARREL AND HAVING A STEM EXTENDING DOWN THROUGH SAID BOTTOM OPENING, A TUBULAR HOUSING FOR THE STEM EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM SAID BOTTOM OPENING AND HAVING A CLOSED LOWER END, A SOLENOID COIL ENCIRCLING SAID HOUSING AND STEM, AND A METAL CORE CARRIED BY THE LOWER PART OF SAID STEM, THE SIDE OF SAID BARREL BEING PROVIDED WITH A LIQUID OPENING CLOSE TO THE TOP OF THE PLUNGER IN ITS LOWER POSITION, WHEREBY WHEN THE COIL IS ENERGIZED TO RAISE SAID CORE THE PLUNGER WILL BE RAISED BY IT TO CLOSE SAID LIQUID OPENING AND FORCE LIQUID ABOVE IT IN THE BARREL UPWARD AND OUT THROUGH SAID NOZZLE. 